Scheme proposed to ban young children riding on motorbikes

The Office of the Consumer Protection Board (OCPB) on Wednesday proposed that passengers on motorcycles should be more than six years old. The proposal comes in direct response to statistics that show that a large number of children are injured and die in motorcycle accidents. Virachai Chomsakorn, the OCPB’s deputy secretary general is also proposing that a sicker be put on every motorcycle too, warning the drivers “death and disability without using a helmet’, he says the label should be shown clearly on every motorbike. Motorbikes are involved in 80% of the nation’s road accidents. Studies have shown children falling asleep while riding pillion is not unusual.

However the proposal has received a chilly reception from many parents who use motorbikes to send their children to school. One government official said that banning young children from riding on motorbikes was a violation of people’s right and went on to suggest that the ban would result in traffic congestion so bad his children would have to wake up before sunrise should it go ahead